It is disillusioned to say the least that Cal Crutchlow leaves a Red Bull Ring where he suffered two weekends in a row. He entered this Styrian Grand Prix from 18th place, his worst starting position in MotoGP since 2012. And under the checkered flag, he finished one place less worse. But the Englishman keeps his humor, even if the teapot is ready to explode...
Upon arriving in his LCR box, Cal Cruthlow, 17rd du Grand Prix of Styria said : " my day was fantastic. I'm very happy with the result and can't wait to make a champagne toast ". An irony that serves as a shield against deep disillusionment: “ the race was as bad as the last six days here. I gave everything and 17th place is the result “, grumbles the Briton. “ I rode behind Alex Marquez for a long time in the race and saw where his bike was performing better than ours. I forwarded this information to Honda ».
« During the rest of the weekend I also monitored where the other Hondas performed better than mine. We now have to work with this information and hopefully things will go better at another circuit ».
« My pace was consistent today, but not fast enough ", said Crutchlow. " On the second start of the race, I got off to a great start, but then everyone passed me and I just couldn't pass the other drivers. It's not ideal ».
“I’m still motivated. I want to be as fast as possible”
Cal felt good braking, but it wasn't enough to make up positions. “ I got stuck in one position and it seems like that's the norm at Honda at the moment. You can't overtake with the 2020 machine. I am disappointed with the result ».
« I'm happy to be able to leave this circuit now », admits Crutchlow. " Even though things aren't going so well for me right now, I'm still motivated. I want to be as fast as possible ».
By following his colleague Alex Marquez, Crutchlow noticed this: it had more grip and it accelerated better. “ We need to look into this and ask Honda for help ", said Crutchlow. " They should help us understand the problems. I hope we take a step forward with the bike by the next race. But it's not up to me ». Cal Crutchlow already knows that he will not be on a Honda in 2021. For the moment without handlebars, he is in theoretical competition with Andrea Dovizioso for the handlebars that would remain if Iannone found himself permanently suspended: Aprilia. By the way: Honda has not achieved a single podium in the first five races of the season. This has never happened to the brand since its return to the premier category 38 years ago…
MotoGP Austria 2 J3: classification
